BICAM DEADLOCK ON DPWH BUDGET IS ALL ABOUT KICKBACKS
The current deadlock in the bicameral conference committee over the proposed 2026 national budget is plain and simple about pork. More specifically, about how much can be skimmed off the bloated budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The Lower House and Executive Department’s insistence on restoring the P54-billion cut proposed by the Senate can be summed up this way: a higher DPWH budget means higher kickbacks, or so-called SOPs, for legislators and executive officials.
Previous investigations and testimonies related to the flood control program have already exposed how corruption is built into the budget process itself. As early as the National Expenditure Program (NEP) stage, legislators reportedly receive advance payments for kickbacks tied to infrastructure projects. These SOPs – ranging from 20 to 25 percent – are computed based on the project cost as reflected in the NEP, the General Appropriations Bills (GABs) approved by both Houses, and ultimately the enacted General Appropriations Act (GAA).
This would explain why a 25 percent reduction—or P54 billion—in the DPWH budget is being fiercely resisted by the House contingent. Such a cut directly translates to reduced kickbacks. That, and not the concern for public welfare, is the crux of the issue as far as many legislators are concerned.
The bicam deadlock exposes the entrenched pork barrel system that continues to drain public funds meant for genuine infrastructure and social services. It also confirms that corruption is not an aberration but a structural feature of the current budget-making process.
BAYAN calls on the Senate to stand its ground and refuse to buckle under pressure from pork-hungry legislators. The proposed reduction in the DPWH budget must be upheld and expanded further. The Senate should also push for cuts to other pork barrel allocations, including the P45 billion SAGIP program, which it removed from the Unprogrammed Appropriations. Better yet, just remove the entire section on Unprogrammed Appropriations which is nothing but presidential pork.
The Senate must prove whether it stands with the people or with the pork barrel system that has long plagued our country.
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